(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to knitted garment construction and, more particularly, to a collarette construction for the neck and sleeve openings of knitted garments of the slip-over type commonly referred to as T-shirts.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacture of T-shirts and related slip-over garments, it is common practice to form the body of the garment from a section of knitted tubular material. A neck opening is cut in the material and this opening is finished by applying to the body of the garment what is normally referred to as a "collarette." The collarette is ordinarily made of a 1.times.1 rib knit material, the material being passed through a folding machine and doubled back upon itself to provide two layers before being applied to the garment.
As applied to the garment the two layers are disposed on opposite sides of the garment body material, and the free edge of the outer layer is turned under and stitched to the garment so as not to leave a raw edge outwardly of the garment. The lower edge of the inner layer is commonly left with a raw edge. In the past, this inner raw edge is substantially covered by a coverseaming stitch, such as a 406 coverseaming stitch, which attaches the collarette to the garment body.
Such constructions lack a highly desirable finished tailored look. Specifically, the neck line of the garment, when viewed from the outside thereof, does not provide an attractive finish. In addition, such constructions either do not have a natural tenency to lay flat or require additional steps in the manufacturing process in order to cause the collarette to lay flat. Accordingly, current practice is to cover the raw edge by sewing a tape stripe over the seam. However, this technique requires a separate sewing operation be performed which adds cost and increases the opportunity for producing "seconds".
One type of collar edge construction for a knitted garment which does not require this second sewing operation is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,070,542, issued to LaVelle et al. The construction includes a garment body provided with a finished lower edge and sleeves suitably attached opposite side of the upper end of the garment body. The body is cut away in the usual manner at its upper extremity to form a neck opening. The neck opening is framed by a strip of collarette material which is folded longitudinally to form inner and outer layers. The lower portion of the outer layer is folded inwardly to form a folded portion. The lower edge of the inner layer is also folded to form a second folded portion. At least two parallel lines of stitching pass through the lower portions of the collarette strip and the body fabric to complete the assembly.
Because both edges of the collarette are folded inwardly, no raw edges show. The resulting construction is durable, has a natural tendency to lay flat, and provides an attractive finish in the neck of the garment without the need for a tape strip since there are no exposed raw edges.
While this construction was the first of its kind, it produces a collar that is conventional in outward appearance to the consumer. Many consumers, however, seek shirts that have a more unique "look". Thus, there remains the need for new and improved collar constructions based on the two-needle concept which provides a collar which is durable, has a natural tendency to lay flat, provides an attractive finish in the neck of the garment, and does not require additional steps in the manufacturing process while, at the same time, provides an unique "look" for the consumer.